KANSAS CITY. Mo. -- They are essentially playoff veterans at this point, although the Kansas City Royals are not so proud that they can’t go back to their more innocent days for guidance and inspiration.

Friday’s 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the Houston Astros in Game 2 of the American League Division Series was nowhere near as dramatic as the 9-8 mind-boggler the Royals put together in the AL wild-card game against the Oakland Athletics last year, yet the similarities were still relevant.

No, a loss on Friday would not have eliminated the Royals like it would have last year, but a two-games-to-none hole against the Astros, with a date against Dallas Keuchel ahead, sure would have presented its problems.

Yet there was no panic from the Royals after falling behind 4-1 in the third inning. They methodically put together a rally, helped by the fact that starter Johnny Cueto settled down and the bullpen did what it normally does, with three scoreless innings.

“It was a big come-from-behind victory and championship teams win those kind of games right there,” first baseman Eric Hosmer said. “It’s a big win for us and that was our goal for the day to even out the series heading to Houston. Just a big team win.”

There was none bigger than the rally against the A’s last year that not only put the Royals in the ALDS, but created momentum that didn’t stop until they reached the seventh game of the World Series.

What Friday’s victory does remains to be seen, but even if the Royals can’t follow it with an underdog victory against Keuchel, they still have a Game 4 insurance policy that would bring them back home if they can win.

“Just getting a win, that was the main focus today,” outfielder Lorenzo Cain said. “Momentum can turn in a heartbeat. Today, I felt like we were locked in. We just needed this win today and go into a tough atmosphere in Houston and hopefully we can come away with a win as well.”

Friday’s patience might not come as easy on Sunday against a Cy Young Award favorite in Keuchel. The Royals cut the lead to 4-2 in the third inning when a run scored after Ben Zobrist grounded into a double play. That appeared to be a momentum buster, and it was until the sixth.

In what can go down as a game-saving at-bat and likely a season-extending one, Hosmer appeared to have no chance against reliever Oliver Perez. He looked completely outclassed when falling behind 0-2, and hardly looked any better when he made a survival lunge at another Perez pitch.

But this one got enough of the bat that the ball floated into shallow left field, and Hosmer had cut the lead to 4-3 on the RBI. Three batters later, Salvador Perez walked with the bases loaded and the Royals had tied it, sending the crowd of 40,008 into a frenzy. It was a walk every bit as big as, if not bigger than, Perez's second-inning home run.

“I think last year after the wild-card game, we're down for four runs in the seventh inning, so we got a little experience, you know,” Perez said. “And we just concentrated today to the last out. No matter what inning we are, if we're down four runs, if we're up four runs, we need to play hard and finish the game.”

One inning after Perez’s walk tied it, Zobrist came through with an RBI single to put the Royals on top for good. The bullpen of Kelvin Herrera, Ryan Madson and Wade Davis took it from there.

“[Zobrist] is a professional and the guy comes to work every day ready to work, ready to win,” third baseman Mike Moustakas said. “When we got him at the deadline, it was a huge pickup for us. What he brings to this team is a lot more than what you guys see on the field … and he does a lot on that field for us. He’s such a professional hitter, an unbelievable professional and we’re happy to have him here.”

Zobrist has his own playoff experience from his days with the Tampa Bay Rays, but now he knows all about the Royals' never-say-die style.

“The offense finally got on track,” manager Ned Yost said. “I just kept waiting somewhere in the game to get something started because I knew the crowd would really get involved. And finally, we tacked one and then we tacked another one on and then finally scored two to tie it there in the sixth.”

While the Astros looked like the opportunistic team in Game 1 on Thursday, the Royals regained their identity and delivered the kind of victory that suits their style.

“We just battled as a team and kept moving the line offensively,” Hosmer said. “We tried to put together good at-bats and stay aggressive in the zone there. If they’re not going to go in the zone, take our walks. And that’s going to create some better pitches for us throughout the series.”